Blade Show 2021

[Man with no name]

 

[d762nato]

Cool videos Thanks for posting.

 

[gardenrambo]

Nice to see JimiSlash at the Booth

 

[sharp_edge]

I like the fixed blade in the beginning of the first video. Any idea how much it will cost?

 

[d762nato]

I like the fixed blade in the beginning of the first video. Any idea how much it will cost?

If your talking about that Drop Forged Bowie, I've seen a few for a tad over a Ben.

 

[Your Name Goes Here]

2nd Video - at minute 1:30. New Warcraft in San Mai - available in 5", 7", 12" with micarta handles. Video says "Late 2021 / early 2022". Also mentioned, a "4034" version of the Warcraft 12" (video didn't name the knife, but that is what it looked like).

 

[sean2021]

Thank you for posting this. Gives us Cold Steel fans some hope that the Brand hasn’t forgotten it’s roots. Time will tell.

 

[jbmonkey]

didn't watch videos yet...was Mr. Wallace there?

 

[sean2021]

I’m don’t know who Mr Wallace is, but “Jimislash” and “Stickman” were interviewed. The 2nd vid is longer, I stopped watching after the Cold Steel booth was visited.

 

[Chris_Texas]

While the latest version of the Drop Forged is undoubtedly nice, I would have liked seeing examples of the higher end products they have been promising -- in some cases for years. For example, the 3V or even A2 Trailmaster, Recon Scout, and Kukri, the Blackbear Classic, the Talwars. How about really blowing people's minds and announce that you will be delivering fixed blades with Kydex or Leather sheaths? Hell, how about blowing me away with ANYTHING?

I wouod have loved seeing a real interview, or at least some actual questions that cover the incredible changes that have taken place at the company. Ask about the astonishing price increases, often coupled with serious reductions in build and material quality. One of the worst examples was right there on the freaking table, the 4max in the first video. Ask about that.

It used to be three-hundred for CPM20CV supersteel. Expensive, but it was a thick slab of 20CV supersteel.Today, a year later, they want four and a quarter for mid grade S35VN. I am not knocking S35, but you can get that same 4" slab of 4.8mm S35VN in an SR1 for a hundred fifty bucks. It's weird.

Does this change suggest a massive across the board price increase heading our way? If so, does Cold Steel have any plans to dramatically increase their generally hit-or-miss build quality to a level commensurate with these new prices? I can buy a matching pair of Maximet Spydercos for less money than Cold Steel wants for their downgraded S35VN 4Max, and that's just goofy. They really need to figure out who they want to be as a company, then clue the rest of us in.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. Peace.

 

[jbmonkey]

I’m don’t know who Mr Wallace is, but “Jimislash” and “Stickman” were interviewed. The 2nd vid is longer, I stopped watching after the Cold Steel booth was visited.

thanks.

Mr. Wallace is a knife maker designer who worked with Demko at cold steel for 10 years or something. hes on some of their patents. he designed some of their knives, my personal favorite the bush ranger folder upgraded version. he was still there at cold steel even though Demko left. hoping we'd see some of his new designs, or his input.

 

[jbmonkey]

While the latest version of the Drop Forged is undoubtedly nice, I would have liked seeing examples of the higher end products they have been promising -- in some cases for years. For example, the 3V or even A2 Trailmaster, Recon Scout, and Kukri, the Blackbear Classic, the Talwars. How about really blowing people's minds and announce that you will be delivering fixed blades with Kydex or Leather sheaths? Hell, how about blowing me away with ANYTHING?

I wouod have loved seeing a real interview, or at least some actual questions that cover the incredible changes that have taken place at the company. Ask about the astonishing price increases, often coupled with serious reductions in build and material quality. One of the worst examples was right there on the freaking table, the 4max in the first video. Ask about that.

It used to be three-hundred for CPM20CV supersteel. Expensive, but it was a thick slab of 20CV supersteel.Today, a year later, they want four and a quarter for mid grade S35VN. I am not knocking S35, but you can get that same 4" slab of 4.8mm S35VN in an SR1 for a hundred fifty bucks. It's weird.

Does this change suggest a massive across the board price increase heading our way? If so, does Cold Steel have any plans to dramatically increase their generally hit-or-miss build quality to a level commensurate with these new prices? I can buy a matching pair of Maximet Spydercos for less money than Cold Steel wants for their downgraded S35VN 4Max, and that's just goofy. They really need to figure out who they want to be as a company, then clue the rest of us in.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. Peace.

yeah ya said a lot there. at the minimum a sheath improvement would have been great. guess that aint happening.

 

[sean2021]

thanks.

Mr. Wallace is a knife maker designer who worked with Demko at cold steel for 10 years or something. hes on some of their patents. he designed some of their knives, my personal favorite the bush ranger folder upgraded version. he was still there at cold steel even though Demko left. hoping we'd see some of his new designs, or his input.

Sorry, I had no idea. Mr. Demko of course is the creator of the Triad-Lock. I own a custom AD-10 which I ordered from him about 10 yrs ago. I agree, a more detailed interview at the booth would’ve been nice. Would still love for an official company rep to join the board.

 

[The Whip]

I know this post is quite late, but I've had a busy week since returning from Blade Show and this is my first chance to get back on the Forums. There wasn't a whole lot to report on Cold Steel, but I can offer a few things that you might find interesting.

The biggest surprise (to me, at least), was this:

Yes, they had printed 2021 catalogs and were giving them away at the show. I don't know if this was a one-off for Blade Show or if they've decided to start offering the catalogs in print again. Regardless, I was glad to get one, particularly since it's the fortieth anniversary year (though the catalog doesn't even mention that).

The only new knives I saw were the Warcraft models. The San Mai versions were on display, so I took some photos for you.

Note the price on that XL! They're made in Tawain and Cold Steel is still putting those kinds of price tags on them. The good news is that those who missed the 3-V XL Warcraft can still get a high-end version when these are released.

For the more budget-conscious, the Warcraft line is going to be offered in 4034SS, as well. The handle scales are going to be GFN (probably Griv-Ex, though the material wasn't specified) instead of G-10 and the blades stonewashed. Only an XL Warcraft in 4034SS was on display, but all three sizes will be offered.

I don't have a photo of the 4034SS XL Warcraft, primarily because I intended to buy it and take a picture when I got home. But when I went to make the purchase, the sales representative told me that it was his only prototype, that he had to bring it back to the office for further development, and that it wasn't for sale. Thwarted!

So I didn't get to take a picture. But the knife looks very similar to the San Mai model. It has those same deeply ground thumb grooves (kind of a dumb and self-defeating design modification, if you ask me). But it's got a lighter weight and feels great in the hand. The MSRP on the XL was $160. It was made in Taiwan.


That's about it for Cold Steel news. I didn't see Mike Wallace and don't know if he came to the show. The new employees don't know the products very well and don't really seem to care. If you thought we had trouble getting any Cold Steel background information before...well, let's just say that we better keep our expectations VERY low. For the foreseeable future, Cold Steel's history resides on this subforum and nowhere else.

I did stop in to visit with Andrew Demko and his brother, John, at the Demko Knives booth. Business for Demko Knives was booming! They started the show with several display cases full of the new production model, the AD-20.5. By early Saturday afternoon, they were running low. And by Sunday morning, there wasn't a Demko knife to be had! They sold a couple hundred of those knives in three days.

Andrew Demko hired a former Cold Steel employee, Matt, to assist with Demko Knives' sales and marketing. Matt is the fairer-haired of the two guys who used to do the Cold Steel YouTube videos over the past couple of years. He's glad to be working for Andrew.

I also saw longtime Cold Steel employee Robert Vaughn. He was helping out at the booth of a new start-up knife company called B'Yond EDC (definitely worth checking out, by the way). After thirty years at Cold Steel, he said he didn't know if he would stay in the knife industry now.

I can't think of anything else to share. Again, I apologize for how long it took me to get this out.


-Steve

 

[jbmonkey]

I know this post is quite late, but I've had a busy week since returning from Blade Show and this is my first chance to get back on the Forums. There wasn't a whole lot to report on Cold Steel, but I can offer a few things that you might find interesting.

The biggest surprise (to me, at least), was this:

Yes, they had printed 2021 catalogs and were giving them away at the show. I don't know if this was a one-off for Blade Show or if they've decided to start offering the catalogs in print again. Regardless, I was glad to get one, particularly since it's the fortieth anniversary year (though the catalog doesn't even mention that).

The only new knives I saw were the Warcraft models. The San Mai versions were on display, so I took some photos for you.

Note the price on that XL! They're made in Tawain and Cold Steel is still putting those kinds of price tags on them. The good news is that those who missed the 3-V XL Warcraft can still get a high-end version when these are released.

For the more budget-conscious, the Warcraft line is going to be offered in 4034SS, as well. The handle scales are going to be GFN (probably Griv-Ex, though the material wasn't specified) instead of G-10 and the blades stonewashed. Only an XL Warcraft in 4034SS was on display, but all three sizes will be offered.

I don't have a photo of the 4034SS XL Warcraft, primarily because I intended to buy it and take a picture when I got home. But when I went to make the purchase, the sales representative told me that it was his only prototype, that he had to bring it back to the office for further development, and that it wasn't for sale. Thwarted!

So I didn't get to take a picture. But the knife looks very similar to the San Mai model. It has those same deeply ground thumb grooves (kind of a dumb and self-defeating design modification, if you ask me). But it's got a lighter weight and feels great in the hand. The MSRP on the XL was $160. It was made in Taiwan.


That's about it for Cold Steel news. I didn't see Mike Wallace and don't know if he came to the show. The new employees don't know the products very well and don't really seem to care. If you thought we had trouble getting any Cold Steel background information before...well, let's just say that we better keep our expectations VERY low. For the foreseeable future, Cold Steel's history resides on this subforum and nowhere else.

I did stop in to visit with Andrew Demko and his brother, John, at the Demko Knives booth. Business for Demko Knives was booming! They started the show with several display cases full of the new production model, the AD-20.5. By early Saturday afternoon, they were running low. And by Sunday morning, there wasn't a Demko knife to be had! They sold a couple hundred of those knives in three days.

Andrew Demko hired a former Cold Steel employee, Matt, to assist with Demko Knives' sales and marketing. Matt is the fairer-haired of the two guys who used to do the Cold Steel YouTube videos over the past couple of years. He's glad to be working for Andrew.

I also saw longtime Cold Steel employee Robert Vaughn. He was helping out at the booth of a new start-up knife company called B'Yond EDC (definitely worth checking out, by the way). After thirty years at Cold Steel, he said he didn't know if he would stay in the knife industry now.

I can't think of anything else to share. Again, I apologize for how long it took me to get this out.


-Steve

good report, thanks for info on what ya saw and heard.

 

[SALTY]

Thanks for the CS intel dump from Blade.

Tried as I might, I just couldn't shake and bake my schedule enough to get there this year. Trying to get to the Keys end of next week and support my habits such as living indoors and eating regularly won out this year.

Good for Demko; hope he does well. Holding out hope for the new Cold Steel.

 

[daybd]

No signs of the new Click-N-Cut folder at the show ?

 

[The Whip]

No signs of the new Click-N-Cut folder at the show ?

Sorry, I wasn't clear with my earlier statement. I mean't that the new Warcrafts were the only knives Cold Steel unveiled at the show. They had some of the 2021 models at the booth, but definitely not all of them. I wanted to see the new Oyabun folder. They didn't have the standard or the limited edition version. I didn't look for the Click-N-Cut.


-Steve

 

[not2sharp]

Those prices are way out of line. I suspect that their booth will be available for rent next year. GSM‘s deal has been an excellent case study on how not to acquire a brand. They want to reduce the quality to the level of Bud-K and hike the prices to the realm of Randall, Busse and CRK. Does anyone think that will work?

n2s

Ps. The warranty disclaimer (See post 14) tells me everything I need to know about these losers. They are positioning their knives as decorative wall hangers.

 

[Chris_Texas]

I know this post is quite late, but I've had a busy week since returning from Blade Show and this is my first chance to get back on the Forums. There wasn't a whole lot to report on Cold Steel, but I can offer a few things that you might find interesting.

The biggest surprise (to me, at least), was this:

Yes, they had printed 2021 catalogs and were giving them away at the show. I don't know if this was a one-off for Blade Show or if they've decided to start offering the catalogs in print again. Regardless, I was glad to get one, particularly since it's the fortieth anniversary year (though the catalog doesn't even mention that).

The only new knives I saw were the Warcraft models. The San Mai versions were on display, so I took some photos for you.

Note the price on that XL! They're made in Tawain and Cold Steel is still putting those kinds of price tags on them. The good news is that those who missed the 3-V XL Warcraft can still get a high-end version when these are released.

For the more budget-conscious, the Warcraft line is going to be offered in 4034SS, as well. The handle scales are going to be GFN (probably Griv-Ex, though the material wasn't specified) instead of G-10 and the blades stonewashed. Only an XL Warcraft in 4034SS was on display, but all three sizes will be offered.

I don't have a photo of the 4034SS XL Warcraft, primarily because I intended to buy it and take a picture when I got home. But when I went to make the purchase, the sales representative told me that it was his only prototype, that he had to bring it back to the office for further development, and that it wasn't for sale. Thwarted!

So I didn't get to take a picture. But the knife looks very similar to the San Mai model. It has those same deeply ground thumb grooves (kind of a dumb and self-defeating design modification, if you ask me). But it's got a lighter weight and feels great in the hand. The MSRP on the XL was $160. It was made in Taiwan.


That's about it for Cold Steel news. I didn't see Mike Wallace and don't know if he came to the show. The new employees don't know the products very well and don't really seem to care. If you thought we had trouble getting any Cold Steel background information before...well, let's just say that we better keep our expectations VERY low. For the foreseeable future, Cold Steel's history resides on this subforum and nowhere else.

I did stop in to visit with Andrew Demko and his brother, John, at the Demko Knives booth. Business for Demko Knives was booming! They started the show with several display cases full of the new production model, the AD-20.5. By early Saturday afternoon, they were running low. And by Sunday morning, there wasn't a Demko knife to be had! They sold a couple hundred of those knives in three days.

Andrew Demko hired a former Cold Steel employee, Matt, to assist with Demko Knives' sales and marketing. Matt is the fairer-haired of the two guys who used to do the Cold Steel YouTube videos over the past couple of years. He's glad to be working for Andrew.

I also saw longtime Cold Steel employee Robert Vaughn. He was helping out at the booth of a new start-up knife company called B'Yond EDC (definitely worth checking out, by the way). After thirty years at Cold Steel, he said he didn't know if he would stay in the knife industry now.

I can't think of anything else to share. Again, I apologize for how long it took me to get this out.


-Steve

Great report, thanks! Some random comments based on your post and pictures...

It's kind of disappointing (and perhaps telling) that the 2021 catalogs didn't mention the anniversary year. I see it as further confirmation that the new owners really don't understand what the company and it's fans are about.

The prices in the pictures are insane. In my industry, trade show prices are generally lower than you can find elsewhere. Perhaps the knife industry is different. None the less, $500 for a San Mai Warcraft is silly. The other prices in the photos are high as well.

Hand written price labels? If you are gonna offer yourself to the world as a high-end manufacturer, asking $500 for a production knife, print the labels.

Why do I see piles of food and garbage in the background? Very unprofessional. I was sad to read that the new Cold Steel employees don't know their products or seem to care.

$160 for a Warcraft in 4034SS?

Did any of the former Cold Steel employees have anything to say about how the sale went down?